Richard Hearne

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Richard "Mr Pastry" Hearne

Born Richard Lewis Hearne
January 30, 1908(1908-01-30)
Norwich, Norfolk
Died August 23, 1979 (aged 71)
Bearsted, Kent
Occupation Comic actor
Spouse(s) Yvonne

Richard Lewis Hearne (30 January 1908 [1] - 23 August 1979) [2] was an English actor, comedian, producer and writer.

Hearne was born in Norwich, Norfolk. He was the first artist to be known as a "television star" and also the first to have his own programme, when he played 'Mr Pastry', a black and white series of 25 minute episodes. Long before Clive Dunn did it, Richard Hearne dressed up as an old man to play Mr Pastry, a funny looking old man with glasses and a walrus moustache in a black suit or raincoat, and wearing his trademark bowler hat in a show that was introduced with the theme tune : 'Pop goes the Weasel'. The real Richard Hearne looked quite the dandy and was not recognisable as his Mr Pastry character.

Mr Pastry came out of a 1936 stage show he was in with Fred Emney called 'Big Boy'. Each week the bumbling old man would have adventures with his two young friends. Jon Pertwee starred in a number of roles in the show. There was a film made about Mr Pastry but this has him coming out of prison and was totally different from the TV series, showing him as a pathetic figure instead of as a bumbling comic. Richard Hearne worked on and off for the BBC for thirty years.

His act first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1954, and he appeared on the show frequently.

He was offered the starring role of the BBC series "Doctor Who" after the departure of Jon Pertwee, but a disagreement over his interpretation of the role (he wanted to play the Doctor as Mr. Pastry) led to the invitation being withdrawn by the producer Barry Letts.

Hearne raised money for hundreds of therapy pools was awarded the OBE in 1970 for his charity work.

He was President of the the Lord's Taverners charity in 1963 and he died in Bearsted, Kent aged 71. He left a widow Yvonne and two children. He is buried in a churchyard in the village of St Mary's Platt, near Borough Green in Kent. He had lived in this village in the 40's to the 60's in a house called Platt Farm in Long Mill Lane.

[edit] References

  1. ^ GRO Register of Births: MAR 1908 4b 170 NORWICH - Richard Lewis Hearne
  2. ^ GRO Register of Deaths: SEP 1979 16 1269 MAIDSTONE - Richard Lewes Hearne, DoB = 30 Jan 1908

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Hearne, Richard Lewis
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mr Pastry
SHORT DESCRIPTION Comic actor
DATE OF BIRTH 1908-01-30
PLACE OF BIRTH Norwich, Norfolk
DATE OF DEATH 1979-08-23
PLACE OF DEATH Bearsted, Kent